


It's a Wild World

by nkrockz23



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-06
Updated: 2015-01-30
Packaged: 2018-03-06 08:43:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3128309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nkrockz23/pseuds/nkrockz23
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Slight AU. Will Solace and BoO has NOT happened. But the Prophecy of Seven takes place- and Annabeth dies. (I absolutely detested BoO and just wanted to experiment. This was the result. I have nothing against Percabeth but- Percico is just cute.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Never saw THAT one coming

I. Nico paced up and down restlessly. He and Reyna had just stopped for a rest and she had gone off into the woods to fill up their water supply. Nico was outwardly so restless because inside he was in a turmoil- over everything- over the Prophecy of Seven, over his confession to Cupid and Jason, over his stupid feelings for stupid Percy!

His one guilty pleasure- his cellphone-began to ring. He wondered who on earth was calling, and even more, who even had his number?!

It turned out to be Percy’s godly father, Poseidon. Cutting through Nico’s stammered greetings, he said impatiently, though not unkindly, “You should go back. The Prophecy is fulfilled. He needs you. Annabeth is dead.” The phone went dead. Nico was dazed and unseeing. Annabeth, dead? No! Impossible! She may have been his “crush” ’s girlfriend, but she was an amazing person! Or had been. Nico broke through his shocked trance as he realized the urgency of what Poseidon had said. He rushed off to find Reyna and get back home to Camp Half-Blood.

Actually, normally Poseidon calling Nico like this would have been seriously weird. But about a month back, Nico did something for Poseidon that had him indebted to the kid. And he had certainly mellowed towards Nico. And, of course, the “Godly Network” being the Gossip-Chain that it is, Nico’s confession fast reached Poseidon. Poseidon took it upon himself to be a sort of mentor for Nico- after all, he WAS his uncle- and Nico couldn’t deny that it did feel nice to be cared about, especially by someone as nice as Poseidon. For, contrary to everyone’s misconceptions, Poseidon was actually a really nice guy. He was the only god(apart from Hestia, of course) who didn’t order people to do things, only requested them to do so, politely. Percy was really lucky to have a dad like that. Yes, Hades, had become less frosty lately, but he still wasn’t a great dad. Not to say that Poseidon was perfect, but still.

Nico ran through the trees, shouting for Reyna. When he finally found her, she was rather irritable and said, “The way you were shouting would have broadcasted to the world that you were looking for me! Do you think I’m deaf?!” But when she looked at Nico, the expression on his face caused her to fall silent and feel rather nervous. This couldn’t be good. When he told her, she was struck dumb, shell-shocked. It affected her even more than it had Nico. Though Nico had known Annabeth longer, Reyna and Annabeth had been close. They had understood each other very well, and their characters and situations were similar. Reyna was devastated. She had always thought that that infuriating son on Vulcan (Greek: Hephaestus) would be the one to die, if any. And, yes, she would have been quite sad if that was the case, but she barely knew Leo. But Annabeth? Never in her wildest nightmares had she imagined this! And imagine how poor Percy must be feeling!! Reyna shrewdly took in Nico’s expression of despair and hopelessness and deduced that Nico must have been closer to Annabeth than he had let on, had perhaps even had a crush on her. [Oh, how wrong she was.]

Nico called Mrs O’Leary and he and Reyna got on. Nico, though exhausted, was determined to get back. They travelled into the shadows.


	2. Percy is heartbroken

Percy felt like he was dying inside. Slowly, painfully, torturously. He kept replaying the events of yesterday in his head, again and again and again, looking for something he could have done differently, anything, that could have saved Annabeth. He should have done something. At least gone with her. He had for Tartarus. But he didn’t realize till too late, he was still battling Porphyrion. He turned around to see Annabeth. He ran, but it was too little, too late.

 

He and Annabeth had planned everything, their whole life together. He had loved her so much and now it felt like his whole life was empty. He had been too stunned to do anything but collapse on the floor, staring horrified and disbelieving at the place where Annabeth had been. He was in denial, totally and completely. It was impossible, Annabeth couldn’t be gone! She wouldn’t have left him! She would pop up, having removed her invisibility cap, and say-“Ha, Seaweed Brain! Fooled you! You can’t get rid of me as easily as that!” And then he would be furious and happy and relieved all at once and he would kiss Annabeth and hold her close and never let go. They would be happy, go to college together, and get married afterwards. Percy was numb and silent, waiting for Annabeth to come back. But as hours went by, no Annabeth came. He barely noticed Jason and Piper and all the others gathering around him, pulling him up and supporting him, moving to where Leo was waiting silently with the Argo. He was silent, unfeeling, devastated.

 

The tears came later. They poured down his cheeks in floods, as he shook convulsively. Sobs racked his body as Hazel sat beside him and spoke to him soothingly, comfortingly, her maternal side coming to the fore to help her friend. But nothing could pacify Percy, as he clutched at Hazel’s offered hands. When there was no more left, when he could cry no longer, Percy collapsed, exhausted, too full of sorrow and fatigue to move.

 

He heard the others murmuring and saw their blurry faces through his half-open eyes, but he said not a word. He knew they were worried about him, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. Not now, not after everything that had transpired. His throat was choked, clogged up. He **_couldn’t_** speak, and he couldn’t cry anymore either. He didn’t want to face their sympathy, their pity, their anxiety, no matter how well-meaning. So he lay there, not moving and not speaking, as the Argo flew towards Camp Half-Blood.


	3. Percy's in a state

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, sorry for not updating earlier! I was extra busy with exams and stuff, so now I wrote a longer chapter. Hope you like it! Also, I apologize for Percy being so upset and gloomy, but honestly, come on, ANNABETH DIES!

* * *

 

Mrs O’Leary melted back into the shadows as Nico and Reyna walked towards civilization. Even the wood-nymphs were confined for once, to their trees. The woods were silent, and the quiet carried over into the pavilion. The whole camp was in mourning. Annabeth had been part of the camp for ages, and everyone knew her, including the newest recruits, as a brave and resourceful leader, to be respected and revered. The sky rumbled its displeasure. Even the gods were moved. Annabeth had come so far, and done so much to preserve the world’s safety. She had sacrificed herself to end Gaia, and ensured the protection of generations of demigods, both Greek and Roman alike.

 

Reyna was uncomfortable. No matter how many friends she had in the camp, no matter how far the Greeks and Romans had come together, for centuries before that they had been mortal enemies. But she didn’t let that affect her. Though her posture was stiff, it conveyed the urgency of the moment. They walked towards the cabins. As they passed them, they could see that most doors were shut and no noise could be heard. The camp was still, stagnant as a pond on a windless day. No ripples, no movement anywhere.

 

Nico strode forward purposefully. The usually rather shy son of Hades was standing tall and confident. Reyna, the usual leader, found herself following him rather meekly. They neared the Poseidon cabin, its blue-green walls reflecting the sunlight beautifully, sparkling and shimmering like the sea. In this atmosphere of sorrow, it seemed out of place, improper almost. Nico wanted it to stop. This cabin, like the others, was devoid of any sound. Even more so, perhaps. It seemed to have a hollow emptiness about it. Obviously Percy’s brother and sisters (step-brother and step-sisters) sympathized and had resolved to help him however they could. Even if it meant being mute the whole time. They thought that would help him.

 

“But no,” Nico thought. “That won’t help him at all. He doesn’t know it, but the last thing he needs is for everyone to mourn and be quiet, to let him stew in his misery. He needs a distraction. He may get angry, he may hate me for it, but I won’t let him kill himself like this. He needs to get out, to get out of all of this.” Nico put aside his feelings, put aside his own troubles, drew himself up, and walked into the cabin.

 

Inside, he ignored the startled grimaces of the other offspring of Poseidon, and walked straight up to the central bed, reserved for the senior most member. Percy. Seeing him again made Nico’s heart flip and his blood rush to his head, but he ignored that and focused on the matter of primary importance- to get Percy out of the rut he was in. He knew it wouldn’t be easy.

 

He was nervous, but he didn’t show it. When he opened his mouth to speak, he thought for a moment that only a pitiful squeak would emerge, but thankfully, he spoke with his normal voice, if a little more compassionate than his usual frosty, impenetrable façade. “Percy,” he spoke gently, barely a whisper. “Percy, listen to me!” Here a little impatience crept into his voice at Percy’s continued silence and ignoring of him. The other sons and daughters of Poseidon looked rather shocked to see Nico disturbing Percy’s self-imposed trance. Nico forged on. “Percy, you can’t mope around forever. It’s been ten days now! You’ve not eaten, and you’ve barely drunk anything! They’ve tried cajoling, shouting, pleading. Everything- are you trying to starve yourself to death?!”

 

Percy turned his head to look at Nico blankly. When he spoke, he was bland, emotionless- completely different from the fun-loving, energetic person he had been before. From the others’ gasps, though, it was clear that Percy had not even spoken before. This became increasingly evident at the faint rasp of his voice, that unused quality that was prominent. “Go away, Nico. There’s no point in living, no point to it all.” Nico was heartened despite the tone of Percy’s voice. He had recognized Nico, after all, and was at least talking to him. Nico spoke again, “Percy, do you think Annabeth would have wanted you to act like this?! What’s the point in her sacrifice if you mope like this afterward? Do you think she’d be happy? I knew Annabeth; she wouldn’t have wanted you to do this. She’d have wanted you to move on, to go on with your life, and be happy.”

 

Suddenly Percy released all his pent-up fury and frustration. “You didn’t know her!! How would you know what she would want?! Stuck in your own stupid, dead world, cold and unfeeling, detached from everything, how the HELL would you know anything about her?!” His siblings were startled at the outburst, the eruption of the normally very amiable Percy, but Nico smiled with grim satisfaction. At least he had got a reaction out of Percy. Of course, though the things Percy had said were hurtful, they were true; even though Nico knew the mask was necessary, for him to hide those non-platonic feelings he had for Percy, yes, it hurt- especially coming from Percy.

 

But Nico put all of that aside. There would be time to address those issues when Percy was better again. Nico had the sneaking suspicion that his “crush” on Percy was a little more than a mere crush now, but he would think about _that_ some other time, too. He tried again, “Percy, I knew her. When you went missing we had to work together a lot to find you. We became quite close actually.” As Percy’s anger was simmering down, Reyna stepped forward rather timidly. She had never seen Percy angry like this, but she had to try. “Percy, I knew Annabeth, too. She was a good person, a kindred soul to mine. What Nico said is right. Try for her, please?” Percy’s anger subsided and he slumped back on his bed with a resigned sigh. He said, “She wasn’t like you think she was. She wouldn’t have wanted to live without me, either.” But he said it without anger. Nico knew they had won. He was triumphant. Percy spoke again, “I’ll be right out, Nico, Reyna. Just give me ten minutes to refresh myself and get ready. I can’t go anywhere in this state!” He gave a watery laugh, jumped out of bed, grabbed a change of clothes and headed into the bathroom. Nico nudged Reyna and pointed out the other kids in the cabin. They were standing slack-jawed, eyes goggling out of their heads, staring at Nico and Reyna.

 

“Well, that’s unusual!” laughed Reyna. The whole general atmosphere had greatly improved since Percy had admitted defeat and had got up, out of bed. Of course, there was still an air of sorrow- nothing could erase the tragedy of Annabeth’s death- but the atmosphere **HAD** lightened significantly. Reyna quipped, “Who would have expected the Son of Pluto to have brought light and happiness back to the camp?” Sometime before, this would have hurt Nico, but now he laughed and agreed. He knew Reyna was a friend, and that she was just joking. In fact, it was **BECAUSE** she was a friend that she felt the need to make fun of him. Nico’s spirits lifted and he allowed himself to revel in the perfect feeling that came out of being cared about and having friends.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, who would have thought that out of all Percy's friends, the ones to turn his mood around would be Nico and Reyna?! For the sake of this story, let's just assume that somehow Nico has less creepy-son-of-Hades vibes and is waaaay less anti-social. Somehow, between the time of House of Hades and this story.


	4. The Aftermath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that it's a bit short, but I have my exams right now… :( :(

* * *

 

In those 10 minutes, as Percy scrubbed away the dirt and tears and the layers of sorrow, he began to feel more and more like himself again. He felt refreshed and more alive, despite the tinge of lingering sadness. But he knew nothing could be done about it. He would have to go on with his life; that’s what Annabeth would have wanted him to do, he knew. He also knew he had t stop thinking about it all, about her, or he’d never manage to recover himself from the empty shell he was now. It would be very hard, but it was necessary.

 

He smiled to himself. Trust Nico and Reyna to bring him to his senses. They were the ones who didn’t fit in so well here at Camp Half-Blood, but they were the ones who had been the most confident about tackling Percy. Hazel, though comforting, didn’t have the lack of emotional attachment- in necessary situations- to pull Percy out of his devastation. Leo tried cracking jokes, and proclaimed himself to be just like his dad- unable to interact and help other people emotionally. Jason and Piper were utterly useless. Frank was so frightened on seeing the normally so cheerful Percy in such mental turmoil, every time he came close he kept morphing into an iguana. Chiron was kind but not firm enough. After all, he was sad enough too- Annabeth and he had been so close, ever since she had landed up at Camp at the young age of seven. Anyway, Percy could be really stubborn when he wanted to be. His mother had often complained jokingly about his being absolutely obdurate. But somehow, Nico had managed to pull him out of his obstinacy by being equally obstinate. Speaking of which, they would be waiting for him; he had better go out and meet them.

 

As he walked out of the bathroom, the mirror misted over and the shower gently steaming, his three siblings- Roger, Sophie and Lucy- stared at him. “It’s alright, I’m fine guys,” he said gently. Getting over their shock, Roger thumped his back and the two girls gave him hugs. “We’re glad you’ve come out of it, Percy! We missed having YOU around.” Lucy smiled at him. “Now I think you’ve gotta go catch up with your persuasive friends!”

 

Percy beamed gratefully at them. Then he walked out with not quite a spring in his step, but with a stride that was not in the least bit dragged or heavy.

 

Outside, he saw Nico and Reyna with their backs to him, talking and laughing from time to time. He felt a pang in his heart when he saw them looking so happy together. He frowned. What was that? Was he really so selfish that after losing HIS girlfriend, he felt jealous about other people being happy together?! He put it out of his mind. He walked towards them and called out a greeting. They turned and Percy caught a glimpse of Nico’s face. He was shocked by the sudden brief grimace of fear, pain and something else he couldn’t quite identify, that Nico’s face contorted into upon seeing him. He blinked, and Nico had his usual blank, vacuous expression. Percy wondered if he had imagined it. He must have.

 

Percy was so grateful to Reyna and Nico for helping him out of his misery, that he ran up to both of them and gave them both hugs. He tried to put all of his relief, his gratitude, his misery and his thanks in it. He didn’t quite notice both Reyna’s and Nico’s twin blushes, though he did feel that their faces were a little more flushed than normal. Though by the time Reyna regained her senses, Nico’s face had already returned to its usual ghostly pale complexion. So she didn’t guess his secret, fortunately for him.

 

Just some quick info. In this day and age, in this country, homosexuality is generally accepted. However, Nico was from a time some hundred years before today, when homosexuality was considered a sin, declaimed against in the Bible. So Nico was scared of his homosexuality, would never openly announce he was gay. And his hope of a relationship with Percy was probably doomed, because he’d never actually make a move on Percy, or even tell him. He was also insecure that he’d never live up to Annabeth. Percy, poor, clueless Percy, would never even notice that Nico was gay, let alone that the guy had a crush on him!

 

Anyway, Nico breathed a sigh of relief as they walked towards the food pavilion. His secret was safe for another day.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By the way, in case you're wondering about Sally and Paul, Percy got to see them in between( remember BoO didn't happen, so I'm just going to assume he did), before Annabeth died. And he won't see them again until much later in the story. Just to clarify!


End file.
